A GOOD all-rounder isn’t particularly
hard to come by these days. There
are lots of cars that serve their intended
purpose, confidently and unobtrusively
going about their business while making
the lives of their owners easier.
The previous-generation Mercedes
GLC was one such car. Quiet, comfortable,
even pretty efficient, it was inoffensive
to look at and felt like it was built to
a high standard. It came with the
required level of interior tech, while
the boot was a good size, too.
But now there’s a new one – not that
you’d know it, because to the untrained eye
the 2023 model looks much the same as
the old car, albeit tightened up slightly,
as if the designers used sharper pencils.
It benefits from a marginally cleaner
front end, and the rear is more in keeping
with the design of the larger GLE SUV. But
it’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it type stuff.
Admittedly it’s a different story inside.
This new GLC gets Mercedes’ latest MBUX
infotainment system, with an 11.9-inch
portrait-oriented touchscreen display and a
12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. It feels
fresh and modern, and on the whole, it’s
responsive and intuitive to use.
Yet it’s not all good news. While the row
of shortcut buttons below the main screen
is well positioned, and it offers quick and
easy access to key functions, including
audio volume and drive modes, if you push
one button, you’ll notice the entire panel
moves with it. This feels on the cheap side
in terms of build quality, and in a car
starting from £51,855 – or a whopping
£72,210 in top-spec GLC 300 e 4MATIC
AMG Line Premium Plus trim as tested here
– that simply shouldn’t be the case.
Happily, most of the other materials, plus
the cabin’s general fit and finish, are both